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Police are trying to glean more information as to why a full-patch member of the Hells Angels was found dead in Maple Ridge.
Integrated Homicide Investigation Team Cpl. Frank Jang confirmed Tuesday that Chad Wilson, 43, was the victim of a "targeted" homicide when he was found face-down under the Golden Ears Bridge on Sunday.
Investigators had no motive and suspects at this time, Jang added. He would not confirm if Wilson died where his body was found or if it was taken to that spot.
Several men in Hells Angels insignia had emerged from a home on the same street as where Wilson's body lay, police confirmed, and crossed crime tape to speak with investigators.
Gang units are working to make sure Wilson's death does not spark retaliation or any uptick in violence around the region.
"We understand when a member of the Hells Angels is found murdered – that's unsettling news," Jang said. "We're going to do our due diligence."
Jang said he was confident IHIT would be able to convince Hells Angels members, like those who showed up to the crime scene, to talk.
"We're quite good at our job and persuading people to come forward and help solve murders," he said.
"I think people understand, whether you're involved in criminality or not, when somebody takes someone else's life, that's wrong. That's a heinous act."
Wilson had a long history of crime both in and outside of B.C.
Once from Cranbrook, he was one of four men arrested in Spain in 2013 on allegations of smuggling cocaine.
Posts on social media reveal ties to the Mission and Haney chapters of the gang, although Jang said investigators could not confirm the exact chapter he was connected to at the time of his death.
Anyone with information is asked to call IHIT at 1-877-551-4448 or email firstname.lastname@example.com. Those wishing to remain anonymous, can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.


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Guest Blogged by John Gideon
Just announced by KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the news that a group of citizens and People For The American Way have filed suit against the Secretary of State; Dan Onorato, Allegheny County Chief Executive; James Flynn, County Manager; and senior officials at the federal Department of Justice. The citizen group includes members of the disabilities community who want to make sure the County purchases machines that are accessible to all individuals with disabilities.
KDKA reports:
"This rush to a new and flawed technology just weeks before the election threatens to sow chaos in the primary and compromise the fundamental rights of thousands of voters for years to come," says Harry Litman, the former United States Attorney in Pittsburgh and an attorney for the plaintiffs. "It's a bad deal for Allegheny County, and, we believe, a violation of federal law."
The suit, Celeste Taylor v. Dan Onorato asks the court to prevent use of machines manufactured by Election Systems & Software until the County has spent the time necessary to identify voting systems that are secure; reliable; and accessible to voters with disabilities.
The plaintiffs cite elections in Texas, Florida, California, Ohio, and North and South Carolina where ES&S machines failed on Election Day.
A report by the Inspector General in Miami of a 2002 election found that the ES&S machines were not properly prepared; their results could not be audited; poll workers were unable to operate machines; and large number of voters simply gave up as a result.
The complaint alleges that DOJ has pressured Allegheny to buy the new machines by improperly threatening to take back about $12 million that has been given to Pennsylvania for improved voting systems.
These machines are sold and serviced by Elections Systems and Software, the same company that has played a major role in failures of memory cards and is a large reason why this nation is headed for a "Train Wreck" in our primary elections and, if no action is taken, in November.

subset: commoncrawl


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Jessica Johnson may be new to her position as the Food Service Director for Sycamore School District in Cincinnati but she is no novice when it comes to finding innovative ideas to keep her students and staff smiling. Since Johnson started her job just more than one year ago, she has had to work quickly to change her menus and vending machines to keep up with Ohio's Senate Bill 210 (which requires the adoption of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation's Nutrition Guidelines) as well as the new USDA school meal regulations.
Johnson began this effort last year by adding more fruits and vegetables at every grade level, removing all unhealthy products from the vending machines, stopping the sale of unhealthy desserts and addressing the access to French fries in the high school. Previously the students could choose the fries as part of the reimbursable lunch every day and she made the change to having them available as an a la carte item only once per week. All of these actions helped prepare for the next round of changes.
Last summer, Johnson received the new USDA school meal nutrition regulations. Although she admits that more time for food service staff to prepare and for manufacturers to reformulate products would have been better, Johnson believes that having all of these new guidelines to follow has helped ease the transition to healthier foods in her schools. "This really was good timing for me because I wanted to make these kinds of changes anyways but having the law behind you makes it easier." She said there were also some parents that had been pushing for healthier meals in the district so she felt she had support from various stakeholders.
Johnson, however, was cognizant of not wanting to just take things away from the students, especially in the middle schools where these changes were going to be felt the hardest. "I really wanted to encourage our 7th and 8th graders to see beyond burgers and cookies. I thought that adding a deli bar with made-to -order sandwiches would be giving them something new and exciting while providing a complete, reimbursable meal." Students now can make their own subs with whole grain breads, unlimited vegetable toppings and low-fat sauce options. They take a side of fruit and milk and enjoy!
Although there was a dip in meal participation at the beginning of the year, Johnson said that was to be expected as it was difficult to get products in; manufacturers struggled with assessing the demand and stocking new items. "That causes turmoil because we don't know what we will have and the kids don't know what we will have. The selection was more limited so they started bringing their lunch from home more. But now that we are stable and they see what we have to offer, they are coming back. Our staff participation is also up- we used to have one or two staff members purchase a lunch each day, now it is more like 20 on average."
Now that the district has finished its six-cent certification, the process in which schools document compliance with the new meal patterns in order to collect an additional six cents for every meal, Johnson is ready to work on increasing student buy-in. She said the students are getting used to more wraps and salads and they enjoy a weekly taco bar. Johnson has rearranged the serving areas to put the fresh fruits up at the front and the less healthy a la carte items back in the corner. She has changed the packaging they use from a foggier plastic and foam to a clear plastic so that students can really see what they are getting. She holds food focus groups with older students and she has a stamp of "student approval" she uses to promote items that received positive feedback. Younger students get to try new items and circle "Yum" or "No, thanks" on a piece of paper.
"What I've decided in this process," said Johnson, "is that it was a lot of work to pull it together over the summer and our August and September menus were rough because we were trying to wrap our heads around it. But now we have made it to the other side and we are in a good place. I think it is good to have national standards so that everyone can move towards healthier meals. And it has forced me to be more creative in menu design and makes kids think outside the box and try new things."
Tips from Jessica Johnson on a Successful School Lunch Program
1) Let the kids try it and market it for you. Peer pressure works!
2) Work with the high school newspaper to write about new guidelines and options.
3) Have food service staff present at meal times to help address student questions and concerns.
4) Be creative with sauces! A fruit sauce can add a lot of flavor to a grilled chicken sandwich.
5) Meet with your food brokers/distributors and ask them how other schools are using their products to get ideas.


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This article is more than 1 year old
Sun breaks through the clouds
Presque vu all over again
Server maker Sun Microsystems will today launch its third assault into utility-style computing. And if you find yourself having a flashback of sorts, it isn't you and all that brown acid you took at Berkeley. It's just the way it is in the modern computer business.
Ask anyone in IT, except for maybe a few million CIOs and business owners who have their skeptical caps on, and they will tell you: Cloud computing is an idea whose time has come - again. And if at first you don't succeed, that doesn't mean it was a bad idea. It is just that someone else has done the idea better and you have to catch up so you can get some of the cash companies are going to be throwing around to build these computing and storage infrastructures called clouds. I think the old-fashioned term "utility" is better suited to what is really happening, but that is so 20th century, as is "grid," the term Sun preferred way back when the Sun Grid was launched in February 2005. Humans are so fickle. Don't blame Fate's finger.
Today, at the CommunityOne East developer conference Sun is hosting in New York, the company will announce the Sun Cloud, which Sun is billing as the "first public cloud service offering for developers, student, and startups," a cloud that will feature compute and storage services. I guess by first that means if you don't include Sun Grid or its kicker, Network.com, which was aimed at developers and startups as far as I can remember as well as corporations looking to offload some Solaris work to Linux or Solaris machines (that was the Sun Grid) and then only Solaris (that was Network.com).
Whatever. The point now, according to Juan Carlos Soto, vice president of cloud computing marketing at Sun, who has run its marketing program to chase startups as well as being chief technology officer for Sun's software business, is that Sun is going to operate a public cloud and will initially target developers and startups as the users for the platform. These are the kinds of customers who don't have big capital budgets and would no doubt prefer to rent compute and storage capacity than own gear and pay upfront for it.
This time around, according to Soto, Sun is building a public cloud that will support Linux, Windows, and Solaris - not just Solaris, which kind of limited its appeal - on a mix of Sparc and x64 iron. The cloud will be built using blade servers, which means Niagara processors on Sparc blades and both Xeon and Opteron processors on x64 blades. Because the initial targets are developers and startups, Solaris 10 is not going to be available out of the chute on the clouds, but the OpenSolaris development distro will be on both Sparc and x64 chips.
Several flavors of Linux and Windows will also be available on the x64 iron. To virtualize this server iron, Sun will be using its own xVM hypervisor tools, which of course includes Sun's implementation of the open source Xen hypervisor on x64 machines and logical domains (LDoms) on the Niagara iron. Both x64 and Sparc versions of the Solaris operating system can also support Solaris containers, which is Sun's riff on virtual private servers.


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Conservation groups and mining interests reached an accord, ending an 18-year effort to stop the development of a large gold mine on Buckhorn Mountain in north central Washington State. By negotiating the agreement signed by both mining opponents and the company that will build the mine, Okanogan Highlands Alliance was able to achieve proactive environmental protections beyond those required by federal and state agencies.
Buckhorn Mountain was part of the National Forest System until 2004 when the federal government sold the mining claims containing a billion dollars worth of gold for $740.
"The current mining law abdicates the government's responsibility to protect public resources," said David Kliegman, alliance executive director. "Under the 1872 Mining Law, the government is forced to work for the mining industry, not the public. Hopefully the Senate will do something about mining reform this year."
After privatization via patenting, in September 2006, the Washington Department of Ecology approved a permit for Crown Resources/Kinross to construct the proposed mine which the alliance appealed. In the fall of 2007, the department issued water rights and water quality certification, which were appealed by the alliance, Washington Environmental Council, and the Center for Environmental Law & Policy. These and other permit appeals were consolidated and the parties were preparing for a trial scheduled to begin on May 12. With the signing of the agreement, the groups withdraw the appeals in exchange for verifiable, independent monitoring and increased mitigation.
"The groups realized we could win more by settling," said Kliegman, who has led the fight against the mine for nearly two decades. "Instead of a very expensive legal battle, OHA and Crown will put our resources into positive improvements for our community and the environment and independent oversight of the mine impacts."
Despite significant changes to the rejected proposed open-pit mine from the 1990s, grave concerns remain about the current underground mine proposal. The settlement allows the parties to track these concerns and minimize the impacts of the mine.
Key parts of the settlement with Crown focus on improved monitoring and mitigation. High-points include maintenance of the natural water levels for headwater creeks on Buckhorn Mountain; protection for residents worried about their wells; additional wetland and stream improvement projects in the Okanogan Highlands; and third-party monitoring with independent verification and annual audits of monitoring results.
"OHA believes this settlement is a victory and will be looked at as a win-win for the local community." added Kliegman. "We aren't going anywhere. We will continue to keep a close eye on this mine's operations for a very long time."
With the settlement, the mine will provide jobs to the area and the local community can have a reasonable level of confidence that the mine will not be detrimental to the environment.
This free educational webinar will provide a detailed process for climate-driven "pre-response" in a variety of key areas including: Supply Chain Disruptions, Employee Safety and Productivity, Regulatory and Compliance Risks …and many more areas.


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Mr. Chairman, delegates, and my fellow citizens ... I accept your nomination. Thank you for this honor. Together, we will renew America's purpose. Our founders first defined that purpose here in Philadelphia ... Ben Franklin was here. Thomas Jefferson. And, of course, George Washington -- or, as his friends called him, "George W." I am proud to have Dick Cheney at my side. He is a man of integrity and sound judgment, who has proven that public service can be noble service. America will be proud to have a leader of such character to succeed Al Gore as Vice President of the United States. I am grateful for John McCain and the other candidates who sought this nomination. Their convictions strengthen our party. I am especially grateful tonight to my family. No matter what else I do in life, asking Laura to marry me was the best decision I ever made. To our daughters, Barbara and Jenna, we love you, we're proud of you, and as you head off to college this fall ... ... Don't stay out too late, and e-mail your old dad once in a while, will you? And mother, everyone loves you and so do I. Growing up, she gave me love and lots of advice. I gave her white hair. And I want to thank my father -- the most decent man I have ever known. All my life I have been amazed that a gentle soul could be so strong. And Dad, I want you to know how proud I am to be your son. My father was the last president of a great generation. A generation of Americans who stormed beaches, liberated concentration camps and delivered us from evil. Some never came home. Those who did put their medals in drawers, went to work, and built on a heroic scale ... highways and universities, suburbs and factories, great cities and grand alliances -- the strong foundations of an American Century. Now the question comes to the sons and daughters of this achievement... What is asked of us? This is a remarkable moment in the life of our nation. Never has the promise of prosperity been so vivid. But times of plenty, like times of crisis, are tests of American character. Prosperity can be a tool in our hands -- used to build and better our country. Or it can be a drug in our system -- dulling our sense of urgency, of empathy, of duty. Our opportunities are too great, our lives too short, to waste this moment. So tonight we vow to our nation ... We will seize this moment of American promise. We will use these good times for great goals. We will confront the hard issues -- threats to our national security, threats to our health and retirement security -- before the challenges of our time become crises for our children. And we will extend the promise of prosperity to every forgotten corner of this country. To every man and woman, a chance to succeed. To every child, a chance to learn. To every family, a chance to live with dignity and hope. For eight years, the Clinton/Gore administration has coasted through prosperity. And the path of least resistance is always downhill. But America's way is the rising road. This nation is daring and decent and ready for change. Our current president embodied the potential of a generation. So many talents. So much charm. Such great skill. But, in the end, to what end? So much promise, to no great purpose. Little more than a decade ago, the Cold War thawed and, with the leadership of Presidents Reagan and Bush, that wall came down. But instead of seizing this moment, the Clinton/Gore administration has squandered it. We have seen a steady erosion of American power and an unsteady exercise of American influence. Our military is low on parts, pay and morale. If called on by the commander-in-chief today, two entire divisions of the Army would have to report ... Not ready for duty, sir. This administration had its moment. They had their chance. They have not led. We will. This generation was given the gift of the best education in American history. Yet we do not share that gift with everyone. Seven of ten fourth-graders in our highest poverty schools cannot read a simple children's book. And still this administration continues on the same old path with the same old programs -- while millions are trapped in schools where violence is common and learning is rare. This administration had its chance. They have not led. We will. America has a strong economy and a surplus. We have the public resources and the public will -- even the bipartisan opportunities -- to strengthen Social Security and repair Medicare. But this administration -- during eight years of increasing need -- did nothing. They had their moment. They have not led. We will. Our generation has a chance to reclaim some essential values -- to show we have grown up before we grow old. But when the moment for leadership came, this administration did not teach our children, it disillusioned them. They had their chance. They have not led. We will. And now they come asking for another chance, another shot. Our answer? Not this time. Not this year. This is not a time for third chances, it is a time for new beginnings. The rising generations of this country have our own appointment with greatness. It does not rise or fall with the stock market. It cannot be bought with our wealth. Greatness is found when American character and American courage overcome American challenges. When Lewis Morris of New York was about to sign the Declaration of Independence, his brother advised against it, warning he would lose all his property. Morris, a plain-spoken Founder, responded ... "Damn the consequences, give me the pen." That is the eloquence of American action. We heard it during World War II, when General Eisenhower told paratroopers on D-Day morning not to worry -- and one replied, "We're not worried, General ... It's Hitler's turn to worry now." We heard it in the civil rights movement, when brave men and women did not say ... "We shall cope," or "We shall see." They said ... "We shall overcome." An American president must call upon that character. Tonight, in this hall, we resolve to be, not the party of repose, but the party of reform. We will write, not footnotes, but chapters in the American story. We will add the work of our hands to the inheritance of our fathers and mothers -- and leave this nation greater than we found it. We know the tests of leadership. The issues are joined. We will strengthen Social Security and Medicare for the greatest generation, and for generations to come. Medicare does more than meet the needs of our elderly, it reflects the values of our society. We will set it on firm financial ground, and make prescription drugs available and affordable for every senior who needs them. Social Security has been called the "third rail of American politics" -- the one you're not supposed to touch because it shocks you. But, if you don't touch it, you can't fix it. And I intend to fix it. To seniors in this country ... You earned your benefits, you made your plans, and President George W. Bush will keep the promise of Social Security ... no changes, no reductions, no way. Our opponents will say otherwise. This is their last, parting ploy, and don't believe a word of it. Now is the time for Republicans and Democrats to end the politics of fear and save Social Security, together. For younger workers, we will give you the option -- your choice -- to put a part of your payroll taxes into sound, responsible investments. This will mean a higher return on your money, and, over 30 or 40 years, a nest egg to help your retirement, or pass along to your children. When this money is in your name, in your account, it's not just a program, it's your property. Now is the time to give American workers security and independence that no politician can ever take away. On education ... Too many American children are segregated into schools without standards, shuffled from grade-to-grade because of their age, regardless of their knowledge. This is discrimination, pure and simple -- the soft bigotry of low expectations. And our nation should treat it like other forms of discrimination ... We should end it. One size does not fit all when it comes to educating our children, so local people should control local schools. And those who spend your tax dollars must be held accountable. When a school district receives federal funds to teach poor children, we expect them to learn. And if they don't, parents should get the money to make a different choice. Now is the time to make Head Start an early learning program, teach all our children to read, and renew the promise of America's public schools. Another test of leadership is tax relief. The last time taxes were this high as a percentage of our economy, there was a good reason ... We were fighting World War II. Today, our high taxes fund a surplus. Some say that growing federal surplus means Washington has more money to spend. But they've got it backwards. The surplus is not the government's money. The surplus is the people's money. I will use this moment of opportunity to bring common sense and fairness to the tax code. And I will act on principle. On principle ... every family, every farmer and small businessperson, should be free to pass on their life's work to those they love. So we will abolish the death tax. On principle ... no one in America should have to pay more than a third of their income to the federal government. So we will reduce tax rates for everyone, in every bracket. On principle ... those in the greatest need should receive the greatest help. So we will lower the bottom rate from 15 percent to 10 percent and double the child tax credit. Now is the time to reform the tax code and share some of the surplus with the people who pay the bills. The world needs America's strength and leadership, and America's armed forces need better equipment, better training, and better pay. We will give our military the means to keep the peace, and we will give it one thing more ... a commander-in-chief who respects our men and women in uniform, and a commander-in-chief who earns their respect. A generation shaped by Vietnam must remember the lessons of Vietnam. When America uses force in the world, the cause must be just, the goal must be clear, and the victory must be overwhelming. I will work to reduce nuclear weapons and nuclear tension in the world -- to turn these years of influence into decades of peace. And, at the earliest possible date, my administration will deploy missile defenses to guard against attack and blackmail. Now is the time, not to defend outdated treaties, but to defend the American people. A time of prosperity is a test of vision. And our nation today needs vision. That is a fact ... or as my opponent might call it, a "risky truth scheme." Every one of the proposals I've talked about tonight, he has called a "risky scheme," over and over again. It is the sum of his message -- the politics of the roadblock, the philosophy of the stop sign. If my opponent had been there at the moon launch, it would have been a "risky rocket scheme." If he'd been there when Edison was testing the light bulb, it would have been a "risky anti-candle scheme." And if he'd been there when the Internet was invented well ... I understand he actually was there for that. He now leads the party of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. But the only thing he has to offer is fear itself. That outlook is typical of many in Washington -- always seeing the tunnel at the end of the light. But I come from a different place, and it has made me a different leader. In Midland, Texas, where I grew up, the town motto was "the sky is the limit" ... and we believed it. There was a restless energy, a basic conviction that, with hard work, anybody could succeed, and everybody deserved a chance. Our sense of community was just as strong as that sense of promise. Neighbors helped each other. There were dry wells and sandstorms to keep you humble, and lifelong friends to take your side, and churches to remind us that every soul is equal in value and equal in need. This background leaves more than an accent, it leaves an outlook. Optimistic. Impatient with pretense. Confident that people can chart their own course. That background may lack the polish of Washington. Then again, I don't have a lot of things that come with Washington. I don't have enemies to fight. And I have no stake in the bitter arguments of the last few years. I want to change the tone of Washington to one of civility and respect. The largest lesson I learned in Midland still guides me as governor ... Everyone, from immigrant to entrepreneur, has an equal claim on this country's promise. So we improved our schools, dramatically, for children of every accent, of every background. We moved people from welfare to work. We strengthened our juvenile justice laws. Our budgets have been balanced, with surpluses, and we cut taxes not only once, but twice. We accomplished a lot. I don't deserve all the credit, and don't attempt to take it. I worked with Republicans and Democrats to get things done. A bittersweet part of tonight is that someone is missing, the late Lt. Governor of Texas Bob Bullock. Bob was a Democrat, a crusty veteran of Texas politics, and my great friend. He worked by my side, endorsed my re-election, and I know he is with me in spirit in saying to those who would malign our state for political gain... Don't mess with Texas. As governor, I've made difficult decisions, and stood by them under pressure. I've been where the buck stops -- in business and in government. I've been a chief executive who sets an agenda, sets big goals, and rallies people to believe and achieve them. I am proud of this record, and I'm prepared for the work ahead. If you give me your trust, I will honor it ... Grant me a mandate, and I will use it... Give me the opportunity to lead this nation, and I will lead ... And we need a leader to seize the opportunities of this new century -- the new cures of medicine, the amazing technologies that will drive our economy and keep the peace. But our new economy must never forget the old, unfinished struggle for human dignity. And here we face a challenge to the very heart and founding premise of our nation. A couple of years ago, I visited a juvenile jail in Marlin, Texas, and talked with a group of young inmates. They were angry, wary kids. All had committed grownup crimes. Yet when I looked in their eyes, I realized some of them were still little boys. Toward the end of conversation, one young man, about 15, raised his hand and asked a haunting question... "What do you think of me?" He seemed to be asking, like many Americans who struggle ... "Is there hope for me? Do I have a chance?" And, frankly ... "Do you, a white man in a suit, really care what happens to me?" A small voice, but it speaks for so many. Single moms struggling to feed the kids and pay the rent. Immigrants starting a hard life in a new world. Children without fathers in neighborhoods where gangs seem like friendship, where drugs promise peace, and where sex, sadly, seems like the closest thing to belonging. We are their country, too. And each of us must share in its promise, or that promise is diminished for all. If that boy in Marlin believes he is trapped and worthless and hopeless -- if he believes his life has no value, then other lives have no value to him -- and we are ALL diminished. When these problems aren't confronted, it builds a wall within our nation. On one side are wealth and technology, education and ambition. On the other side of the wall are poverty and prison, addiction and despair. And, my fellow Americans, we must tear down that wall. Big government is not the answer. But the alternative to bureaucracy is not indifference. It is to put conservative values and conservative ideas into the thick of the fight for justice and opportunity. This is what I mean by compassionate conservatism. And on this ground we will govern our nation. We will give low-income Americans tax credits to buy the private health insurance they need and deserve. We will transform today's housing rental program to help hundreds of thousands of low-income families find stability and dignity in a home of their own. And, in the next bold step of welfare reform, we will support the heroic work of homeless shelters and hospices, food pantries and crisis pregnancy centers -- people reclaiming their communities block-by-block and heart-by-heart. I think of Mary Jo Copeland, whose ministry called "Sharing and Caring Hands" serves 1,000 meals a week in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Each day, Mary Jo washes the feet of the homeless, then sends them off with new socks and shoes. "Look after your feet," she tells them ...... "They must carry you a long way in this world, and then all the way to God." Government cannot do this work. It can feed the body, but it cannot reach the soul. Yet government can take the side of these groups, helping the helper, encouraging the inspired. My administration will give taxpayers new incentives to donate to charity, encourage after-school programs that build character, and support mentoring groups that shape and save young lives. We must give our children a spirit of moral courage, because their character is our destiny. We must tell them, with clarity and confidence, that drugs and alcohol can destroy you, and bigotry disfigures the heart. Our schools must support the ideals of parents, elevating character and abstinence from afterthoughts to urgent goals. We must help protect our children, in our schools and streets, by finally and strictly enforcing our nation's gun laws. Most of all, we must teach our children the values that defeat violence. I will lead our nation toward a culture that values life -- the life of the elderly and the sick, the life of the young, and the life of the unborn. I know good people disagree on this issue, but surely we can agree on ways to value life by promoting adoption and parental notification, and when Congress sends me a bill against partial-birth abortion, I will sign it into law. Behind every goal I have talked about tonight is a great hope for our country. A hundred years from now, this must not be remembered as an age rich in possessions and poor in ideals. Instead, we must usher in an era of responsibility. My generation tested limits -- and our country, in some ways, is better for it. Women are now treated more equally. Racial progress has been steady, if still too slow. We are learning to protect the natural world around us. We will continue this progress, and we will not turn back. At times, we lost our way. But we are coming home. So many of us held our first child, and saw a better self reflected in her eyes. And in that family love, many have found the sign and symbol of an even greater love, and have been touched by faith. We have discovered that who we are is more important than what we have. And we know we must renew our values to restore our country. This is the vision of America's founders. They never saw our nation's greatness in rising wealth or advancing armies, but in small, unnumbered acts of caring and courage and self-denial. Their highest hope, as Robert Frost described it, was "to occupy the land with character." And that, 13 generations later, is still our goal ... to occupy the land with character. In a responsibility era, each of us has important tasks -- work that only we can do. Each of us is responsible ... to love and guide our children, and help a neighbor in need. Synagogues, churches and mosques are responsible ... not only to worship but to serve. Corporations are responsible ... to treat their workers fairly, and leave the air and waters clean. Our nation's leaders are responsible ... to confront problems, not pass them on to others. And to lead this nation to a responsibility era, a president himself must be responsible. And so, when I put my hand on the Bible, I will swear to not only uphold the laws of our land, I will swear to uphold the honor and dignity of the office to which I have been elected, so help me God. I believe the presidency -- the final point of decision in the American government -- was made for great purposes. It is the office of Lincoln's conscience and Teddy Roosevelt's energy and Harry Truman's integrity and Ronald Reagan's optimism. For me, gaining this office is not the ambition of a lifetime, but it IS the opportunity of a lifetime. And I will make the most of it. I believe great decisions are made with care, made with conviction, not made with polls. I do not need to take your pulse before I know my own mind. I do not reinvent myself at every turn. I am not running in borrowed clothes. When I act, you will know my reasons ...When I speak, you will know my heart. I believe in tolerance, not in spite of my faith, but because of it. I believe in a God who calls us, not to judge our neighbors, but to love them. I believe in grace, because I have seen it ... In peace, because I have felt it ... In forgiveness, because I have needed it. I believe true leadership is a process of addition, not an act of division. I will not attack a part of this country, because I want to lead the whole of it. And I believe this will be a tough race, down to the wire. Their war room is up and running ... but we are ready. Their attacks will be relentless ... but they will be answered. We are facing something familiar, but they are facing something new. We are now the party of ideas and innovation ... The party of idealism and inclusion. The party of a simple and powerful hope ... My fellow citizens, we can begin again. After all of the shouting, and all of the scandal. After all of the bitterness and broken faith. We can begin again. The wait has been long, but it won't be long now. A prosperous nation is ready to renew its purpose and unite behind great goals ... and it won't be long now. Our nation must renew the hopes of that boy I talked with in jail, and so many like him... and it won't be long now. Our country is ready for high standards and new leaders ... and it won't be long now. An era of tarnished ideals is giving way to a responsibility era ... and it won't be long now. I know how serious the task is before me. I know the presidency is an office that turns pride into prayer. But I am eager to start on the work ahead. And I believe America is ready for a new beginning. My friend, the artist Tom Lea of El Paso, captured the way I feel about our great land. He and his wife, he said, "live on the east side of the mountain ... It is the sunrise side, not the sunset side. It is the side to see the day that is coming ... not the side to see the day that is gone." Americans live on the sunrise side of mountain. The night is passing. And we are ready for the day to come. Thank you. And God bless you.
Mr. Chairman, delegates, and fellow citizens: I am honored by your nomination, and I accept it. I thank you for giving such a warm welcome to Lynne and me and our family. And, my friends in the Wyoming delegation, I especially want to thank you for your support. The first campaign stop that Lynne and I were privileged to make with Governor and Laura Bush was in Casper, Wyoming ... our home town, where Lynne and I graduated from high school 41 years ago. The love and support and enthusiasm of the people of our home state, have buoyed our spirits and strengthened our resolve. We are going to win this election. We will prevail. I have to tell you that I never expected to be in this position. Eight years ago, when I completed my years as secretary of defense, I loaded a U Haul truck and drove home to Wyoming. I didn't plan on a return to public office. Lynne and I settled into a new private life. There was time for fishing and grandchildren, and we were content. But now I am glad to be back in the arena, and let me tell you why. I have been given an opportunity to serve beside a man who has the courage, and the vision, and the goodness, to be a great president: Governor George W. Bush. I have been in the company of leaders. I was there on August 9, 1974, when Gerald Ford assumed the presidency during our gravest constitutional crisis since the Civil War. I saw how character and decency can dignify a great office and unite a great nation. I was a congressman when another man of integrity lived in the White House. I saw a president restore America's confidence, and prepare the foundation for victory in the cold war. I saw how one man's will can set the nation on a new course. I learned the meaning of leadership from President Ronald Reagan. I left Congress to join the cabinet of President Reagan's successor. And I'm proud to say that I'm not the only man on this ticket who has learned from the example of President George Bush. I saw resolve in times of crisis...the steady hand that shaped an alliance and threw back a tyrant. He earned the respect and confidence of the men and women of America's armed forces. I have been in the company of leaders. I know what it takes. And I see in our nominee the qualities of mind and spirit our nation needs, and our history demands. Big changes are coming to Washington. To serve with this man, in this cause, is a chance I would not miss. This country has given me so much opportunity. When Lynne and I were growing up, we had so many blessings. We went to good public schools, where we had fine, dedicated teachers. Our mothers, like our fathers, worked outside the home so that we could go to college. We lived in a caring community, where parents were confident that their children's lives could be even better than their own. And that is as it should be, and as it can be again. We can make our public schools better. We can reform the tax code, so that families can keep more of what they earn ...more dollars that they can spend on what they value, rather than on what the government thinks is important. We can restore the ideals of honesty and honor that must be a part of our national life, if our children are to thrive. When I look at the administration now in Washington, I am dismayed by opportunities squandered. Saddened by what might have been, but never was. These have been years of prosperity in our land, but little purpose in the White House. Bill Clinton vowed not long ago to hold onto power "until the last hour of the last day." That is his right. But, my friends, that last hour is coming. That last day is near. The wheel has turned ... and it is time...it is time for them to go. George W. Bush will repair what has been damaged. He is a man without pretense and without cynicism. A man of principle, a man of honor. On the first hour of the first day...he will restore decency and integrity to the oval office. He will show us that national leaders can be true to their word...and that they can get things done by reaching across the partisan aisle, and working with political opponents in good faith and common purpose. I know he'll do these things, because for the last five years I've watched him do them in Texas. George W. Bush came to the Governor's office with a clear view of what he wanted to achieve. He said he would bring higher standards to public schools, and he has. Walk into those schools today, and you will see children with better scores ... classrooms with better discipline...and teachers with better pay. He pledged to reduce taxes, and he has. He did it twice, with the biggest tax reduction in state history. And not only is the budget in balance, it's running a surplus of more than a billion dollars. He promised to reform the legal system...to get rid of junk lawsuits...and he has. Today the legal system serves all the people, not just the trial lawyers. None of these reforms came easily. When he took office, both houses of the Legislature were controlled by Democrats, and the House of Representatives still is. But Governor Bush doesn't accept old lines of argument and division. He brings people together...reaching across party lines to do the people's business. He leads by conviction, not calculation. You will never see him pointing the finger of blame for failure...you will only see him sharing the credit for success. That is exactly the spirit that is missing from Washington. In the last eight years, that city has often become a scene of bitterness, and ill will, and partisan strife. American politics has always been a tough business...even in 1787 here in Philadelphia, when George Washington himself wondered if delegates could ever agree on a constitution. They did agree, as Americans always have when it mattered most...guided by the public interest and a decent regard for one another. But in Washington today, politics has become war by other means...an endless onslaught of accusation...a constant setting of groups one against the other. This is what Bill Bradley was up against, and others before him. The Gore campaign, Senator Bradley said, is "a thousand promises, a thousand attacks." We are all a little weary of the Clinton-Gore routine. But the wheel has turned. And it is time...it is time for them to go. In this election, they will speak endlessly of risk.. we will speak of progress. They will make accusations...we will make proposals. They will feed fear...we will appeal to hope. They will offer more lectures, and legalisms, and carefully worded denials. We offer another way...a better way... and a stiff dose of truth. For eight years, the achievement gap in our schools has grown worse...poor and disadvantaged children falling further and further behind. For all of their sentimental talk about children, Clinton and Gore have done nothing to help children oppressed by bureaucracy, monopoly, and mediocrity. But those days are ending. When George W. Bush is President and I am Vice President, tests will be taken, results will be measured, and schools will answer to parents...and no child will be left behind. For eight years, Clinton and Gore have talked about Social Security reform...never acting, never once offering a serious plan to save the system. In the time left to them, I have every confidence they'll go right on talking about it. Those days are passing too. There will be no more spreading of fear and panic...no more dividing of generations against one another...no more delaying and excuse making and shirking of our duties to the elderly. George W. Bush and I, with the united Congress, will save Social Security. For eight years, Clinton and Gore have extended our military commitments while depleting our military power. Rarely has so much been demanded of our armed forces, and so little given to them in return. George W. Bush and I are going to change that, too. I have seen our military at its finest...with the best equipment, the best training, and the best leadership. I'm proud of them. I have had the responsibility for their wellbeing. And I can promise them now...help is on the way. Soon, our men and women in uniform will once again have a commander- in-chief they can respect.. one who understands their mission and restores their morale. And now, as the man from Hope goes home to New York...Mr. Gore tries to separate himself from his leader's shadow. But somehow we will never see one without thinking of the other. Does anyone ... Republican or Democrat ... seriously believe that under Mr. Gore, the next four years would be any different from the last eight? If the goal is to unite our country ... to make a fresh start in Washington ... to change the tone of our politics ... can anyone say with conviction that the man for the job is Al Gore? They came in together. Now let us see them off together. Ladies and gentlemen, the wheel has turned, and it is time ... it is time for them to go. This campaign will not be easy. Governor Bush and I face a real fight. We're ready for it. We know the territory, we know the opposition, and we know what's at stake. We will give all we have to this cause. And in the end, with your help, George W. Bush will defeat this vice president, and I will replace him. Ladies and gentlemen, we are so privileged to be citizens of this great republic. I was reminded of that time and again when I was in my former job, as Secretary of Defense. I traveled a lot...and when I came home, my plane would land at Andrews Air Force Base, and I'd return to the Pentagon by helicopter. When you make that trip from Andrews to the Pentagon, and you look down on the city of Washington, one of the first things you see is the Capitol, where all the great debates that have shaped 200 years of American history have taken place. You fly down along the Mall and see the monument to George Washington, a structure as grand as the man himself. To the north is the White House, where John Adams once prayed "that none but honest and wise men [may] ever rule under this roof." Next you see the memorial to Thomas Jefferson, the third president and the author of our Declaration of Independence. And then you fly over the memorial to Abraham Lincoln...this greatest of presidents, the man who saved the union. Then you cross the Potomac, on approach to the Pentagon. But just before you settle down on the landing pad, you look upon Arlington National Cemetery...its gentle slopes and crosses row on row. I never once made that trip without being reminded how enormously fortunate we all are to be Americans, and what a terrible price thousands have paid so that all of us ...and millions more around the world...might live in freedom. This is a great country, ladies and gentlemen, and it deserves great leadership. Let us go forth from this hall in confidence and courage, committed to restoring decency and honor to our republic. Let us go forth, knowing that our cause is just, and elect George W. Bush the forty third president of the United States. Thank you.
Source: George W. Bush 2000 Campaign Web Site
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Hi Friends,
(The top of Ayres Rock!)
I had some spare time today so thought I'd write another
blog to keep you in the loop to how my Arch to Arc triathlon training is coming
My biggest challenge to date has been trying to work out a
routine that is sustainable. It does get difficult sometimes juggling full time
work, coaching and my training; but I'm making it work. I am actually glad it
does get difficult at times because this is what makes me a stronger athlete. I
believe athletes that don't have to overcome any obstacles or have any
challengers in the lead up to their event are not as mentally tough. In
endurance events mental toughness is always overlooked even though it's such a
big part.
Being a swimmer my whole life I have never really needed to
use my glutes before and as a result I don't have any. My first step in
transitioning from a swimmer to a triathlete has been to try and build my
glutes as fast as I can. As it turns out they are very important for running
and cycling. My triathlon coach, Chris Weier has his work cut out for him.
Since my favourite thing in the world is racing, I've
entered in couple of small aquathons early next year. I would love nothing more
than to start racing triathlons right now, but if I start doing that before I
have built my legs up to those distances it will just cause injury. Towards the
end of next year I'm hoping to have at least one ironman under my belt.
I have recently found out my friend and fellow Australian,
John Van Wise has also signed up to the Arch to Arc where he is attempting to
break the world record as well. John is booked in for 2014 so I'll be following
his attempt very closely to learn as much as I can. I met John Van Wise back in
2011 when he gave me some great advice on how to prepare for the English Channel
crossing. John has swum the English Channel a number of times and has done heaps
of other crazy ultra-marathon events too.
My plan for Arch to Arc is to complete the 140km run in
under 24 hours, then have a short rest before taking on the 34km English Channel
swim in under 10 hours, then having another short rest before getting through
the 290km cycle as fast as I can.
This last week I've spent in the Northern Territory (on a
training holiday) with my mate Justin Hanby. I've gotten some good running in,
we ran Urulu, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon!
"A lot of people run a
race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish
himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even
more." – Steve Prefontaine
Happy New Year!
Trent Grimsey
English Channel Record Holder
Date: 31st
December 2013


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Haywood TDA shakeup underway
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer
Legislation passed in the most recent session of the General Assembly calls for the restructuring of the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority Board.
The old TDA consisted of nine members. Six, or two-thirds, had to be from lodging businesses (three from places with over 20 units, three from places with less than 20 units). The remainder had to be from tourism-related businesses, such as attractions, art galleries or restaurants.
The new TDA will have 12 members. Only half must be from lodging businesses. Two must be from tourist-related businesses, and four additional members will be recommended by each town in Haywood County. They can be from any walk of life, not necessarily the tourism industry.
Here are a list of applicants submitted to the Haywood County Board of Commissioners. The new board will be selected by Jan. 1.
*Denotes current TDA board member
• Carroll Mease, real estate broker and appraiser
• Gary Cochran, contractor and real estate broker
• Phyllis Prevost, owner of Pisgah Inn
• Ron Reid, owner of Andon Reid Inn Bed and Breakfast
• Mike Ray, alderman, owner of Crawford Ray Funeral Home
• Pat Smathers, lawyer and Canton mayor
Maggie Valley
• Lydia Freyeisen, owner of Smoky Falls Lodge and Grizzly Grill
• Marion Hamel, President of Smoky Events
Owner or manager of a lodging facility with more than 20 units
• Charlotte Parsley, Realtor, Prudential 1st Choice, also manager of Meadowlark Motel
• Samuel Carver, owner of Waynesville Country Club
• Herb McElroy, manager of Maggie Valley Realty and Construction
* Alice Aumen, owner of Cataloochee Ranch
* Joetta Rinehart, Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center
* Ken Stahl, owner of Super 8 Motel
Tourism-related business
* James Carver, owner of Maggie Valley Restaurant
• Michael Graham, owner of JukeBox Junction in Bethel
* Deborah Reed, president of FOCUS on Greater Canton
Owner or manager of a Lodging Facility with Fewer than 20 Units
• Allen Alsbrooks, Terry Lynn Motel
• Wendy Van Zee Banks, owner of Banks Mountain Home
• Art O'Neil III, Innkeeper, owner of Sunset on Main, Sunset Café
• Tammy Wight, owner of Clarketon Motel


text:
This article is more than 1 year old
Flores Hobbits were stunted humans
Cretin offspring of normal mothers, say Oz researchers
A group of Oz researchers has thrown its hat into the Flores "Hobbit" ring by claiming the diminutive inhabitants of the Indonesian island were not a new species at all but rather "cretin offspring of normal mothers".
The first Hobbit skeleton, dating back 15,000 to 18,000 years, turned up in a cave back in 2003. Its discovery provoked a lively debate as to whether it was nothing more than a dwarf human or the hitherto unknown Homo Floresiensis - a descendant of Homo erectus which shrank due to the natural process of "island dwarfing".
New species sceptics suggested the individual - a female dubbed LB1 - may have been a human suffering from microencephaly. Early in 2007, backers of Homo Floresiensis retaliated by presenting a CT scan of LB1's brain cavity, showing she did "did not have the characteristic traits of a microcephalic human".
In September 2007, detailed analysis of the wrist bones of LB1's skeleton showed they were "not quite the same as those of modern humans, and share some characteristics with older human species, and the great apes", something which backed the Homo Floresiensis theory.
However, scientists at the School of Applied Sciences at RMIT University in Melbourne have now claimed LB1 actually suffered cretinism - a condition of "severely stunted physical and mental growth due to a congenital deficiency of thyroid hormones" - provoked by her mother's "iodine and other dietary deficiencies".
The school's Peter Obendorf told Reuters: "We believe they were homo sapiens but with this disorder. The mothers would be iodine and selenium deficient and would be exposed to certain plant food that would release cyanide into the body."
Obendorf noted that LB1's community lived inland, and were therefore deprived of seafood - a good source of iodine. It probably subsisted on bamboo shoots and tubers, which "could have released cyanide into their bodies given the primitive cooking methods they were using".
Obendorf added: "We think the population was normal, but many of the women had goiter. In the middle of a drought, some were forced to eat unsuitable food ... and they had cretin children."
The researchers, whose findings are published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, conclude by noting that "certain structures of the fossils, such as the arm bone, matched descriptions contained in medical literature of cretin skeletons found in Europe, especially Germany and Switzerland".
Obendorf rested his case with: "The dwarf cretins in Europe have just the same structural rotation of the arm bone." ®


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Leslie and my oldest, Jaya, turned 4 today. Wow. Where does the time go?
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Check out some of my short story writing at The Stories in Which We Find Ourselves. You can also download dramatic readings of these sacred narratives.
Here are articles I've published with Sojourners or on the Emergent Village Green.
Here are a few tales from my sometimes alter-ego, Revelations, the now defrocked Village Half-Wit.
I co-edited this upcoming volume about the future of children's and youth ministry...
I authored Ch. 29 of...
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text:
Why don't men like to stop and ask directions? This question, which I first addressed in my 1990 book You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation , garnered perhaps the most attention of any issue or insight in that book. It appeared on cocktail napkins ("Real men don't ask directions") and became a staple of stand-up comics as well as jokes that made the rounds: "Why did Moses wander in the desert for 40 years?" and "Why does it take so many sperm to find just one egg?"
The attention surprised me. I had not known how widespread this experience was, but I included the asking-directions scenario because it crystallized key aspects of a phenomenon that, I had discovered, accounts for many of the frustrations that women and men experience in conversation. I have spent more than three decades collecting and analyzing thousands of examples of how women and men interact and have found that men's talk tends to focus on hierarchy–competition for relative power–whereas women's tends to focus on connection–relative closeness or distance. In other words, a man and woman might walk away from the same conversation asking different questions: he might wonder, "Did that conversation put me in a one-up or one-down position?" whereas she might wonder, "Did it bring us closer or push us farther apart?"


text:
Caractéristiques détaillées
Dualsim adapter WX-Twin 7 Plus Dual SIM card protective case for iPhone 7 Plus
WX-Twin 7 Plus is a Dual SIM case adapter which allows to use 2 telephone numbers in one single iPhone 7 Plus.
The DualSIM case adapter WX-Twin 7 Plus allows you to call, send and receive your SMS/MMS, access Internet and enjoy data using 3G or 4G with your 2 SIM cards on one and unique cellphone.
Once the Dual SIM WX-Twin 7 Plus case inserted into your iPhone 7 Plus, the SIMore menu appears automatically in your Apple mobile's main menu to manage your 2 telephone numbers and define your settings.
WX-Twin 7 Plus Dual SIM case adapter uses innovative and futuristic design, together with the latest flexible printed circuit board technologies (Polyimide kapton) to ensure thinness and strength.
This technology strengthens the adapter's membrane and optimizes the contact points between the SIM cards, ensuring an optimum connection.
The Dual SIM card case WX-Twin 7 Plus includes the shortcut function.
You can switch between both SIM cards by dialling #11 (SIM-1) or #22 (SIM-2) directly via your iPhone 7 Plus keyboard.
You can switch from one number to the other in two clicks and choose your SIM to make and receive calls, send and receive SMS, and access data and browse Internet without turning off your iPhone 7 Plus.
The Dual SIM WX-Twin 7 Plus allows to name your SIM cards to know which phone number is connected and avoid roaming fees.
With this ergonomic protective case, your Apple iPhone 7 Plus is fully protected while keeping all its available features (buttons, connectors and camera of your cell phone).
Very convenient for travellers, businessmen, or anyone who uses more than one SIM or phone number (professional SIM , private SIM or foreign SIM).
Two phone numbers on one single iPhone 7 Plus.
Data and internet access through 3G 4G LTE with both SIMs.
Innovative design, ultra-thin and super-resistant membrane.
Optimization of contacts.
Shortcut function for fast switch.
Choose the SIM card you want to be connected.
Rename your SIM cards to know which SIM is active.
Anti-shock protective case.
Separate your business and your private life.
Avoid international roaming fees.
Quick and easy installation.
Technical specifications
- 2 SIM locations (1x nano SIM and 1x standard SIM)
- Manual switching function
- Automatic switching function
- Polyimide kapton technology
- Shortcut function
- SIM cards naming
- Reset function
- Supports UMTS - 3G - LTE - 4G - HSDPA - WCDMA - CDMA - GSM - GPRS - EDGE networks
- Dual SIM adapter color: White
- Protective case color: Black
Works with all Apple iPhone 7 Plus and all iOS versions
Compatible with all Nano SIM and Standard SIM cards of all mobile phones providers
The combination of some SIM cards requires to restart the iPhone 7 Plus after switching between SIM
Your iPhone 7 Plus must be unsimlocked to use two SIM cards from different providers
The Dual SIM WX-Twin 7 Plus adapter is without jailbreak
iPhone 7 Plus + WX-Twin 7 Plus Dual SIM card adapter case
View the video
Installation manual
Does the SIMore dual SIM card support a connection with 5G-LTE-4G-UMTS-HSDPA-3G-WCDMA?
SIMore guarantees a connection with 5G-LTE-4G-UMTS-HSDPA-3G-WCDMA for the Speed X, Speed ZX and Speed Xi ranges.
SIMore guarantees a connection with LTE-4G-UMTS-HSDPA-3G-WCDMA for the X-T and DualSim Infinite ranges.
SIMore guarantees a connection with UMTS-HSDPA-3G-WCDMA for the DualSim Platinum ranges.
SIMore guarantees a connection with GSM-GPRS-EDGE for the DualSim Black, Silver and Gold ranges.
Can I receive calls on both SIM cards at the same time with the X-T, DualSim 3G and DualSim 2G adapters?
The current mobile phones are equipped with one transmitter and one receiver, thus they can not simultaneously connect two SIM cards on two different networks.
With this Dual SIM card adapter, you choose which SIM card you want to use (SIM-1 or SIM-2)
If you are connected on SIM-1 and someone calls on SIM-2, the caller will reach your box and may leave a message.
You will be notified of the message when switching on SIM-2.
However, you can activate the automatic function (not available for all adapters) that allows you to switch between your two SIM cards with ease.
You can therefore be quickly notified if you have received a message or a missed call.
Example: 1 hour 35 minutes on SIM 1 and 5 minutes on SIM 2.
Note: the automatic function is not supported by all mobile phones.
If you need both SIM cards active at the same time, we recommend you the Bluetooth simultaneous adapters.
Can we go on the Internet and make video conference calls with the SIMore dual SIM card?
Yes, the SIMore dual SIM card X-T 3G/4G/5G and DualSim 3G can go online and make video conference connections via 5G-LTE-4G-UMTS-HSDPA-3G-WCDMA.
Is the original operator menu STK (SIM Tool Kit) still available?
The original operator menu STK (SIM Tool Kit) remains accessible for the SIMore Platinum and Infinite versions.
For versions X-T, Black, Silver, Gold, the STK (SIM Tool Kit) original operator menu will be replaced by the SIMore device.


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One interesting aspect of the Marathon des Sables is that each of the awards is named for a sponsor. I and the rest of Dreamchasers USA team were awarded the Buff Trophy for finishing third. In a beautiful coincidence, I and others in the American contingent fell in love with the enormously versatile Buff during the race. I'd previously used the Buff as a makeshift hat and ear warmer, but put the Buff to many other uses during the race, including as a dusk mask, sleeping blinder, and wash cloth. (Buff's website provides instructions on many additional more conventional uses for the Buff.) Both the top American male, teammate Michael Wardian, and the second place overall woman, American Meghan Hicks, were big fans of the Buff at MdS. They've been kind enough to share their thoughts on the Buff below. Please leave a comment to let us know how you've used the Buff, too!
In the course of being the second fastest woman that 2009 Marathon des Sables, Meghan Hicks of California became a born again Buff fan:
Years ago, my interest in The Buff halted when it appeared on the popular television show Survivor and in the catalogs of the cooperative-turned-box store REI. The Survivor girls were wearing them as tube tops as they negotiated the challenges of a reality game show, and REI catalog models accessorized their well-appointed camping outfits with them. The Buff was assimilated into the world of mainstream consumerism, and it was advertised as something to look at and not use. Thus, the Buff had no apparent function in my utilitarian existence.
In the spring of 2009, my attention shifted back to The Buff. I was training and preparing for the Marathon des Sables (MdS), a 7-day, 6-stage, 250-kilometer running race through the Sahara Desert of Morocco. I sought a piece of lightweight gear that would help me weather the desert's occasional sandstorms, and The Buff seemed to fit the bid. In my convivially-climated California home, I conjured a plausible Sahara Desert sandstorm plan. I would already be wearing a running hat and sunglasses as I ran; in the event of a sandstorm, I planned to protect the rest of my face by pulling The Buff over my ears, nose, mouth, and neck. I took this theoretical plan and a buff into the desert in March of 2009.
Well, I'm just back from MdS and I'm here to sing The Buff's praises. I'm sorry to say that I didn't have the opportunity to employ The Buff in a real sandstorm, but I used it in many other ways. For sleeping in camp, my buff was a hat and sleeping mask. It performed during the race as a neck sun shield and a face cover when wind and dust kicked up. In the afternoons and evenings of camp lounging, The Buff functioned as a washcloth and headband.
Simply stated, I became a buff convert out there in the Sahara Desert as I realized that The Buff, indeed, has innumerate practical purposes in the backcountry. You still won't catch me trying to wear The Buff as a fashion piece, and I hope I don't catch you, either!
Here's what Michael Wardian had to say about The Buff after placing 8th and the Top American at 2009 Marathon des Sables.
I have never been a huge Buff fan, but I used my Buff a lot during the race as a hat, headband, pillow, neckwarmer, and finally as toilet paper. It was a useful addition to my gear for MdS and I would recommend it to others as a multifaceted piece of gear that is flexible, light weight, and useful.I would not attempt MdS or similar races without a buff or something similar as you could do it, but you would need three pieces of gear to have all the angles covered. In race like MdS you want gear that is light and is able to be used for many things and Buff meets both of those parameters.
Have you ever used a Buff? What did you think? How did you use it?
[First two photos by George Velasco. Third photo provided by Michael Wardian. Last photo by Cimbaly.]


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You have to figure that Flight must be a good film since so many people are getting upset about it.
There's already been noise from some people who are angry about Denzel Washington's character in the movie, who they see as a negative, stereotypical black character. And now Anheuser-Busch has blown their stack.
They're upset that Washington is seen drinking Budweiser, especially in one scene while he's drinking while behind the wheel of his car, and has asked Paramount Pictures to remove, or at least, obscure the Budweiser logo in the film.
Because, you see, only responsible drinkers drink Bud, and it would be false to imply that drunks also swill Bud.
Rob McCarthy, who is the v.p. of Budweiser, issued a statement saying that, neither Paramount nor director Robert Zemeckis contacted the company to ask their permission to use Bud in the film.
In the statement he said: "We would never condone the misuse of our products, and have a long history of promoting responsible drinking and preventing drunk driving. We have asked the studio to obscure the Budweiser trademark in current digital copies of the movie and on all subsequent adaptations of the film, including DVD, On Demand, streaming and additional prints not yet distributed to theaters."
But Bud isn't the only one. William Grant & Sons are pretty steamed too.
They are the distributors of Stolichnaya Vodka in the U.S., and they claim that they also did not give permission to the studio and Zemeckis to use Stoli in the film, and even if they were asked, they wouldn't have given it to them anyway.
However, despite all of this, trademark licensing experts say that there's very little or nothing at all that companies can do to if their projects are used in a film, since courts have long ruled that products can be used in a film without corporate approval.


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Published on Reproductive system.
Published on Reproductive system.
In animals, the penis denotes power and usefulness. Not in the social sense of the word, but as a means to procreate and ensure the preservation and survival of the species. Functional problems in the penis represent lack of capacity to stress masculinity.
Nowadays, the penis is increasingly given a social meaning that does not make any sense. It is often said that the size of the penis denotes more power. The penis shows masculine power, but not more power than that held by somebody else. Actually, when it comes to sexual intercourse, the size of the penis only matters to those who have a sexual dependency, and who are under the illusion that sex will fill the void in their lives. For this reason, in their view, the bigger the penis, the greater their power to dominate is (See sex – addiction. Problems in the glans are associated to tensions allied to a feeling of uselessness, sexual frustration or problems communicating with his partner. Above all, they indicate a connection with the biological Mother (the umbilical cord has not yet been cut and the person is still dependant on the biological Mother).
Problems in the fraenulum often cause pain. Problems on the fold strangulate the head of the erected penis, making the act somehow clumsy and often painful. They unveil a guilt complex. These are issues that come from birth. They are related to the person's build. For this reason, the person should be asked why he was born with a guilt complex regarding sexual intercourse. Who in his family, Father, Grandfather, had beliefs that punished sex? This person must be aware of this issue. In any case, this problem is easily solved with surgery.
In fact, circumcision, either in young men or adults, indicates the definite cut with the umbilical cord, something the person had been unable to do earlier" It indicates the person is taking a new route in his life.
Glans herpes may be painful. This is a disease provoked by contact with tenderness. It is characteristic of couples that adore each other but are permanently quarrelling. The person wants to contact intensely, the nerve is very much alive, but then, as the relationship does not work properly and the person spends a lot of time quarrelling, the body shows that fighting through herpes, which is painful and hampers sexual intercourse. Herpes reveals that the contact relationship with the other person is painful. People who are prone to having herpes are people who have difficulty being on their own and being tender with themselves. They are depend on love. Herpes shows there is self-inflicted violence in the relationship. If the person is violent to himself in the relationship, this means he feels guilty about something.


text: Annai Veilankanni College Tamil Nadu is located in Tamil Nadu. The education institution was established in the year 2012. The College was affiliated to Thiruvalluvar University. Annai Veilankanni College offers various courses like Computers. The college has a well developed infrastructure and facilities like computer lab, Auditorium, Sports and more. The college has well trained and experienced faculty members. Annai Veilankanni College address, contact number is provided in contact details.


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In this paper a system design approach is proposed, which is based on a user needs assessment and a flexible and adaptable architecture for dependable system integration. The feasibility of the approach is shown on the example of an assistance system for electrically powered wheelchairs. The system requirements correspond to the cognitive and motor abilities of the wheelchair users. For the wheelchair system built up based on a commercial powered wheelchair several behaviors have been realized such as collision avoidance, local navigation and path planning well known from robotic systems, which are enhanced by human-interfacing components. Furthermore, the system design will be high lighted which is based on robotic systems engineering. Due to the fundamental properties of the system architecture the resulting assistance system is inherently dependable, flexible, and adaptable. Corresponding to the current situation and the users' abilities the system changes the level of assistance during real-time operation. The resulting system behavior is evaluated using system performance and usability tests.
Document type: | Conference Item |
Series Name: | International Workshop on the Design of Dependable Critical Systems |
Volume: | 12 |
Date Deposited: | 25 Nov 2009 15:03 |
Date: | 2009 |
Faculties / Institutes: | Service facilities > Institut f. Technische Informatik (ZITI) |
DDC-classification: | 004 Data processing Computer science |
Uncontrolled Keywords: | dependability, system design, user needs assessment, requirement analysis, use cases, system architecture, evaluation |


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JURIST Guest Columnist Daniel Joyner of the University of Alabama School of Law says that the International Atomic Energy Agency and the West are over-estimating the positive results of their sanctions program against Iran and its nuclear program …
There is a good bit of "crowing" going on at the moment by US officials, particularly about the role of Western financial sanctions in "bringing Iran to the table" for negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the West about its nuclear program. For example, US Treasury Under-Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen said regarding these sanctions:
"They [Iran] are increasingly isolated — diplomatically, financially and economically … I don't think there is any question that the impact of this pressure played a role in Iran's decision to come to the table."
This assessment, however, reflects a good deal of peripheral blindness: both about the past and about the future of the Western sanctions program.
If the question is: has the policy of institutional escalation at the IAEA and the UN Security Council (UNSC), and the imposition of sanctions on Iran by the UN, the US and the European Union (EU), had an influence on Iran's actions and the development of a crisis between Iran and the West over its nuclear program, the answer is definitely yes. But not in the way these crowing US officials think.
The reasons that Iran stopped implementing its Additional Protocol safeguards agreement with the IAEA back in 2005, pulled back from meaningful discussions with the IAEA and the West at the same time, have since become entrenched in their determination not to give in to Western pressure, and even threatened to block the straits of Hormuz and send world oil prices skyrocketing, have been explicitly stated by Iran to be the decisions by the IAEA and the UNSC requiring Iran to cease its enrichment of uranium beginning in 2005, and the sanctions that have been imposed by the UNSC, and unilaterally by the US and the EU, since that time.
To put it simply, the West's sanctions program is the reason that Iran pulled back from the negotiating table in the first place.
To now claim that Western sanctions have had the successful effect of bringing Iran back to the negotiating table is to ignore this broader view of the history of the crisis over Iran's nuclear program, and the material role that Western sanctions have played in actually creating and intensifying the crisis.
With regard to the future of the crisis — if Iran and IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano, along with his Western clients, are able to come to an accord on reducing tensions between Iran and its critics over the coming weeks, that would, of course, be a welcome result for all sides and for the world generally. However, such a result will only realistically be produced through a negotiated plan that meets the fundamental requirements of both Iran and the West. That agreement will require compromises on both sides, and will undoubtedly include Iranian retention of its essential uranium enrichment capabilities and a continuation of enrichment activities within Iran.
There is no realistic prospect that the IAEA and the West will succeed in dictating to Iran the arbitrary and unreasonable terms that they have laid out in previous IAEA Board of Governors decisions and UNSC resolutions, including most problematically the complete cessation of uranium enrichment by Iran. Iran has made it perfectly clear, and most analysts agree, that this stated objective of Western institutional escalation and sanctions will not be a part of a negotiated final settlement.
Iran may indeed agree to produce more information for the IAEA. It may also agree to a broader list of facilities within Iran to be inspected by the IAEA . It may even agree to other confidence-building measures, such as re-implementation of the IAEA Additional Protocol, suspension of enrichment to 20 percent purity within Iran, and the export of 20 percent enriched stockpiles out of the country. But this is likely to be the extent of Iran's concessions.
But again, the reason Iran ceased implementing the Additional Protocol in the first place was the Western sanctions program itself. And as for the increased information sharing, inspections list, and the other confidence building measures – had the institutional escalation and sanctions program not been chosen by the West it is very likely that Iranian cooperation could have been secured on these points simply through intelligent and creative diplomatic means.
So, with this broadened view of the effect of the Western sanctions program against Iran, let us return to the original question: have Western sanctions had an influence on Iran's actions and on the development of the crisis between Iran and the West? Yes. And that influence has been to significantly deepen and prolong the crisis, and to produce the current negative diplomatic environment in which a simple return to negotiations can be heralded as a major positive step.
Did the sanctions bring Iran to the negotiating table? No. They are the reason Iran pulled back from the table to begin with. Will the sanctions produce what the IAEA and the West have stated as their objective: the complete cessation of uranium enrichment by Iran? Definitely not.
In light of this more comprehensive view of the effect of Western sanctions, the current crowing about the success of the sanctions program by US officials should be replaced by a sober re-evaluation of the West's mishandling of the dispute with Iran from the beginning, and hopefully some lessons learned about ways to better handle future nuclear disputes.
For this purpose, I would recommend to the consideration of US officials Professor Stephen Walt's excellently parsimonious and accurate explanation of the imprudence of current macro-trends in US policy toward arms control diplomacy — into which US policy and diplomacy on Iranian sanctions, unfortunately, perfectly fits.
In a March 2012 post on his blog at the website of Foreign Policy magazine, Walt makes this profound observation:
In short, instead of "arms control" being the product of mutual negotiation, as it was in the Cold War, it now consists of the United States making demands and ramping up pressure to get weak states to comply. Instead of being primarily a diplomatic process aimed at eliciting mutually beneficial cooperation (which might also help ameliorate mutual suspicions with current adversaries), arms control has become a coercive process designed to produce capitulation. This approach may have worked in a few cases . . . but its overall track record is paltry . . . [E]ven a country as powerful as the United States cannot simply dictate to others . . . and a disdain for genuine diplomacy (as opposed to merely issuing ultimatums and imposing sanctions) is getting in the way of potential deals that could reduce the risk of proliferation, dampen the danger of war, and enable U.S. leaders to turn their attention to other priorities. Being the world's #1 power confers many advantages, but it can also be a potent source of blind and counterproductive arrogance.
Daniel Joyner is Professor of Law at the University of Alabama School of Law. His research interests are focused in nuclear weapons nonproliferation law and civilian nuclear energy law. He has also written extensively on international use of force law, and on the UN Security Council. He is the author of International Law and the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (Oxford University Press, 2009) and Interpreting the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (Oxford University Press, 2011).
Suggested citation: Daniel Joyner, Crowing About Iran Sanctions Should Stop, JURIST – Forum, May 24, 2012, http://jurist.org/forum/2012/05/kevin-govern-us-afghan-spa.php.
This article was prepared for publication by JURIST's academic commentary editorial staff. Please direct any questions or comments to them at email@example.com


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Sir Edward Burne-Jones
Date of birth: 1833 — Date of death: 1898
Artist. Burne-Jones was born in Birmingham and a major British artist of the 19th century. His art influenced major European painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Birmingham Museums and Art houses the largest public collection of his work. The collection demonstrates the range of his artistic style: Medievalist, Pre-Raphaelite, Symbolist, Aesthetic artist and Arts and Crafts designer.Son of Edward Richard Jones, framer and gilder, and Elizabeth Coley, who died six days after his birth. Attended King Edward VI Grammar School, Birmingham. 1853, entered Exeter College, Oxford, as a divinity student where he meets William Morris (1834-96).1855, received his first artistic commission for Archibald MacLaren's (1819-84) 'The Fairy Family'. Although untrained as an artist, he took inspiration from the art of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. In 1856 he received lessons in painting from Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-82). First commission to design stained glass, for James Powell & Sons, of 'The Good Shepherd'. Creates many pen and ink designs, imitative of Rossetti. Began his first mural painting for the Old Debating Chamber in the Oxford Union Society in 1857. In the same year creates first work in oil, 'The Blessed Damozel'. Visited Italy four times between 1859-1873. During the early visits he made copies of the Old Masters, while later was influenced by the Renaissance artists Botticelli and Michelangelo. 1860, married Georgiana Macdonald on 9 June in Manchester. Utilised her as the model for his female subjects for many years.1861, a founding partner of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. Designs stained glass cartoons, textiles, including embroidery and ceramic tiles. His medieval subjects merged with his interest in Venetian painting in watercolours of the early 1860s, for example 'The Backgammon Players'. In the 1870s this is replaced by the influence of classical sculpture. An introduction to the Anglo- Greek community in London sees Maria Zambaco (1843-1914) become his new muse and model in the later 1860s. 1875, now the sole designer of stained glass for Morris & Co. 1885, elected Associate of the Royal Academy; and Honorary President of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, visiting Birmingham in the autumn. 1887 started work on the largest watercolour of the 19th century, 'The Star of Bethlehem', completed in 1890. The watercolour was commissioned by the Corporation of Birmingham for the City's new Museum and Art Gallery. Shortly before his death, Burne-Jones completed an unfinished watercolour painting, begun in 1865, 'The Prioress' Tale', which fuses many of the aspects of his long and varied career.


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Plese can you add this link, and make it searchable by "seaside" and "smalltalk"
jQuery 1.4.4 Released
jQuery 1.4.4 is now out! This is the fourth minor release on top of jQuery 1.4 and lands a number of fixes for bugs including some nice improvements over 1.4.3.
We would like to thank the following community members that provided patches, input and their time towards this release: Rick Waldron, Dan Heberden, Alex Sexton, Colin Snover.
Along with the following members of the jQuery core team: John Resig, Dave Methvin, Karl Swedberg, Paul Irish.
We also thank our bug triage team who assisted in narrowing down some of the important fixes needed for this release: Colin Snover, Rick Waldron, Addy Osmani, Alex Sexton, Adam Sontag, Dave Methvin, Mike Taylor, Aaron Boushley, Jitter and John Resig.
As usual, we provide two copies of jQuery, one minified and one uncompressed (for debugging or reading).
- jQuery Minified (26kb Gzipped)
- jQuery Regular (179kb)
You can feel free to include the above URLs directly into your site and you will get the full performance benefits of a quickly-loading jQuery.
Additionally you can also load the URLs directly from Microsoft and Google's CDNs:
Microsoft CDN: http://ajax.microsoft.com/ajax/jQuery/jquery-1.4.4.min.js
Google CDN: https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.4.4/jquery.min.js
General Improvements
We've made a number of improvements with this release, many of which have fixed bugs that were highlighted by the jQuery Community. For the complete list of changes, see the section below marked 'Changes' for more information.
New Features
All new features and changes can be found in the jQuery API documentation for 1.4.4.
In an attempt to further unify the methodology across our API, we've introduced a new method to Effects called .fadeToggle(). We already have existing toggle methods in our API for sliding (.slideToggle()) and toggling classes (.toggleClass()) and it made sense for us to extend the availability of a built in toggle to fading effects as well. See the API documentation on .fadeToggle() for more information.
What's Been Updated?
There are a few areas in jQuery that have seen changes since 1.4.3 was released:
- (New) Added a new animation method, .fadeToggle()
- (Enh) Calling .data() with no arguments now includes data from HTML5 data- attributes (#7222)
- (Enh) Moved jQuery.props from support.js to attributes.js (#6897)
- (Enh) .width() and .height() now report the width and height of hidden elements (#7225)
- (Bug) stopImmediatePropagation was not being honoured in live/delegate event handlers (#7217)
- (Bug) Fixed an issue where host and protocol were not compared case-insensitively when determining whether an AJAX request was local or remote (#6908)
- (Bug) Fixed an issue where the "clone" variable was not being declared correctly (#7226)
- (Bug) Fixed a bug where we only change the ID on nodes that don't already have an ID for rooted qSA (#7212)
- (Bug) Limited the scope of the CSS 'auto' change to just height/width (#7393)
- (Bug) Fixed a bug to ensure that unquoted attribute selectors are quoted (allowing them to go into qSA/matchesSelector properly). Fixes (#7216)
- (Bug) Fixed a bug to ensure that if additional load events are triggered (eg. an iframe being dynamically injected in DOM ready) the ready event isn't triggered twice (#7352).
- (Bug) Fixed a condition that prevents attr from working on non-Element nodes (#7451).
- (Bug) Changing an HTML5 data attribute after calling .data('foo') no longer causes .data('foo') to also change (#7223)
- (Bug) Fixed a bug where Opera didn't give height/width of display: none elements with getComputedStyle but did with currentStyle – fall back to that if it exists added.
- (Bug) Fixed a bug to ensure accessing computed CSS for elements returns 'auto' instead of " consistently (#7337)
It also fixes a number of regressions in 1.4.3. One that caused:
- (Bug) JSONP calls to fail when cleaning up after a callback (#7196)
- (Bug) .removeData() to fail (#7209)
- (Bug) "ready" events to fire twice when added using .bind("ready", foo) (#7247)
- (Bug) .css('width') and .css('height') to return 0 or negative values when trying to get the style of a hidden or disconnected element (#7225)
- (Bug) the attribute not equals selector ([foo!=bar]) to not work in Firefox (#7243)
- (Bug) find() to fail when selecting from forms containing inputs named "id" (#7212)
- (Bug) .children(selector) to fail on XML documents (#7219)
- (Bug) child (>), next sibling (+), and previous sibling (~) selectors to fail when combined with non-CSS pseudo-selectors like :last (#7220)
- (Bug) an error "handler is null" to be raised when passing null as the event handler (#7229)
- (Bug) it to be impossible to include a content-body with DELETE requests (#7285)
- (Bug) it to be impossible to include data with HEAD requests (#7285)
- (Bug) an issue where IE was firing click events on disabled elements when using live/delegate (#6911)
- (Bug) .show() to fail if .hide() was first called on an already-hidden element (#7331)
- (Bug) .show() to fail if an element was hidden in a stylesheet, then had .css('display') manually set prior to calling .show() (#7315)
Backwards-incompatible changes in jQuery 1.4.4
The .width() and .height() methods no longer return 0 when inspecting an element hidden using 'display: none'. To determine if an element is hidden, always use .is(':hidden').
and that's it!. jQuery 1.4.4 is now out so feel free to update your projects to use the latest version. We welcome any and all feedback from the community.
What Features Would You Like To See In jQuery 1.5?
Now that jQuery 1.4.4 is out, we're starting the process of planning our next major release and we would like the community's help in deciding what features we should include. The process for suggesting a feature is quite straight-forward; here's what you need to do:
1. Think of a feature you would like included in jQuery 1.5
2. Create a new ticket for that feature in our [bug tracker] if one does not already exist
3. Send your nomination by filling out the [jQuery 1.5 feature nomination form]
Thats it! In a couple of weeks the jQuery team will be sitting down to review all nominations. The features that we think would benefit the majority of the community will be added to our roadmap.
We're aiming to release jQuery 1.5 early next year and we appreciate any help you can provide in letting us know how we can improve it for you. We look forward to hearing your ideas and feature requests.
72 thoughts on "jQuery 1.4.4 Released"
Jquery is very helpful for me
Thanks guys, for all your hard work on this thing of beauty. I love jQuery!
I would like to start learning and using this tool. But, I can not download jquery from the link above as it gives me RunTime error. What do I need to do?
Mitra -
Very happy to see .fadeToggle() and .width() .height() fixed!
Happy to use jquery :D
Nice work there. keep up the good work.
I just love it… without it would be a pain to do anything quick, thanks a lot.
This version (1.4.4) of Jquery is working fine on all browsers, but I am getting small issue in IE8 version. it is giving me message like 'Object reference doesnt have Property or method'
it is working fine with IE6 and IE7 as well but not in IE8 please suggest me what needs to be done.
Thanks in advance
Prasad Dabbada -
So great!
Commenting to say the jQuery 1.5 feature nomination form is disabled.Thanks!
Greg -
jQuery 1.5 a HTML5 and CSS3 Boss!!! Functions for Audio, Video, SVG, Canvas, etc. A real flash replacer for a web 2.0 pluginless.
There is still a bug in the next() function.
and in "tilda" selector -
Great work. Thanks. Keep it going.
Great work. Thanks. Keep it going.
Forgive my "naiveness" but what do you do with this once you download it ?
Where does it belong ???You provide NO instructions…
i have the big problem for me.
i used to code $.ajax({ ….}).responseText;
and i tested with IE8,it have not show.
but i tested with "Firefox" and "Google Chrome" as well.
please help me.
verry thk. -
$(location).attr('href',url) not working anymore ?
I moved from 1.4.2 to 1.4.4 and i have a lot of problems with this !
Just wanted to know if jquery is available free of cost for commercial use.
Can I also use the various jquery plugins for commercial purpose, i mean implement in a website free of cost? -
Nice…. I Love Jquery……..
Thanks . I love Jquery too
Is there any change in validation plugins between 1.4.4 and 1.6.2?
In jquery 1.4.4, it automatically does form validate plugins when clicked submit button, but in jquery 1.6.2 it does not show validation messages when submit button is clicked with this script as well$(document).ready(function () {
$('input[type=submit]', 'form').click(function () {
}); -
When I use this jQuery, my aspx page is unable to hold session state, I mean the session is getting abandoned and logs out. Any suggestion?


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The landscape of our changing work environment is facilitating the need to improve the way the industry approaches the management of quality. API Spec. Q2 was developed to address quality management systems for the service supply organizations for the upstream petroleum and natural gas industries. This four-day training frames the management system requirements in a managerial and business prospective and will provide you with a working understanding of the document's requirements.
Course Highlights:
You will be given insight as to the drivers behind Q2's importance and its value in the Oil & Natural Gas Industry. Using practical examples and hands-on application, this course is designed to progressively give you introductory to advanced knowledge of Q2 requirements and interpretations.
This course is a one-day extension of the three-day Q2 Fundamentals course and is ideal for practitioners. The Q2 course topics primarily include sections: (4) Quality Management System Requirements; (5) Service Execution; and (6) Quality Management System Monitoring, Measurement, Analysis and Improvement. In addition, the Practitioner course covers the critical clauses and controls, teaches service providers how to properly develop, deploy, implement and sustain the specification and teaches operators how to review and audit for maximum effectiveness. In this course we discuss the fundamentals and thoroughly examine the key controls within the standard and how to apply them to eliminate risk while improving operations.
Particular key areas of study include the following:
- Q2's layout and terminology / definitions / abbreviations, as well as their application
- Normative references
- The "process approach" to quality management
- Quality objectives
- Management responsibility
- Competency requirements
- Control of documents
- Risk assessment and management
- Service design
- Contingency planning
- Calibration, accuracy vs. minimum test pressures
- Management of change (MOC)
- Customer satisfaction process
- Internal audits
- Corrective action and root cause analysis
Who Should Attend:
- Applicants for APIQR Q2 Registration
- Quality System Auditors
- Quality Assurance Personnel and Management Representatives
- Well-site service providers
- Personnel involved in Supplier Evaluation Activities
- Oil Company Personnel involved with Specifying Equipment Requirements


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A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams
written by Jen Bryant
illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Eerdmans Books for Young ReadersThis biography follows "Willie Williams" from his days as a smart,
athletic youngster to his later years as a physician. As readers see
him aging, they also see the inexplicable pull of poetry in his life
and the making of a man as a poet. The multimedia illustrations
closely compliment the text, making for a book that exudes the spirit
of Williams in every way. The book concludes with timelines of both
Williams' life and world history during Williams' lifetime.
Astronaut Handbook
written and illustrated by Meghan McCarthy
Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
How does one become an astronaut? McCarthy opens the door to astronaut training and lets readers in on all the secrets. The eye-popping illustrations offer ways to understand information that would be too difficult for the target audience had it been presented only in text. The back matter includes a page of fascinating facts and a bibliography of books, web sites, videos and places to visit.
Duel! Burr and Hamilton's Deadly War of Words
written by Dennis Brindell Fradin
illustrated by Larry Day
Walker Books for Young Readers
Fradin's historically accurate telling of the story of the duel between Hamilton and Burr is dramatically told. Both men are cast as well-rounded human beings with flaws and strengths, and both are shown to be at fault for the duel. The book concludes with a lengthy bibliography.
Fabulous Fishes
written and illustrated by Susan Stockdale
This Seuss-like look at the world of fish uses bold illustrations and rhyming text to introduce young readers to the wide variety of ocean fish. Stockdale follows up her textual overview with a few pages of additional information about each fish pictured. A long list of resources is also included.
Nic Bishop Frogs
written and illustrated by Nic Bishop
Scholastic Nonfiction
Jam-packed with amazing and sometimes quirky facts, and gorgeous photos, this book takes readers on a journey through the wonderful world of frogs. Scientifically, Bishop doesn't talk down to young readers, but rather helps to make the mystery that is life and science more understandable. A glossary and index are included.
Wanda Gag: The Girl Who Lived to Draw
written and illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray
Using Gág's own words, Kogan Ray tells the story of a woman born into an art-loving family who followed her own dream to create art, no matter what obstacles stood in her way. This biography follows Gág from her childhood years up through the publication of her Newbery award-winning book, Millions of Cats.
Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa
written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter
Winter's bold illustrations and straightforward prose tell the story of this Nobel Peace Prize winner's efforts to bring the green back to Kenya. Focused on her early life, this biography introduces readers to a girl who loved nature, decried its destruction, and worked tirelessly to reforest her beloved homeland. The back matter includes an author's note and quote from Maathai.
--Fiona Bayrock, organizer